Socialist Party Membership Divides Southern Movement

Sources close to the Southern Movement reported that two leaders of the “Hirak,” Salah al-Shanfarah and Naser al-Khabji withdrew last Thursday from an expanded meeting of Hirak leaders in lab’ous ,Yafe’ headed by Hasan Ba’um after the outbreak of a dispute on submitting official resignation letters to the Yemeni Socialist Party.

Sources also mentioned that al-Shanfarah and al-Khabji objected on the distribution of some written forms during the meeting which obliged all members to submit their resignations and abandon any relations which bonds them with the Yemeni Socialist Party.

Al-Shanfarah and al-Khabji left the sight of the meeting in the presence of Hirak leaders in the governorate and with the participation of 40 social officials from the southern governorate.

Some resolutions were adopted in the meeting such as the expansion of the scope of the Supreme Council of the Southern Movement and renewing the call to execute a protest march in Aden for Friday.

A prominent leader and the general secretary of Socialist party in Yemen Yaseen Noman had launched a strong attack on the leaders of the southern movement, accusing them of trying to undermine his party and its historical achievements and to establish an exceptional leadership at the expense of the party.

Many attempts at unifying the Hirak’s ranks were hampered due to the membership of many of its leaders in the socialist party.

During those recent protests, many voices started to rise again from the old officials who took part in the southern government prior to the Yemeni war of separation in 1994 like Hasan Ba’um and Naser al-Nowbah.

Since then, the southern movement has started to have leaders calling for sit ins, peaceful demonstrations, and rallies.

Later, when the southern Hirak became more present in media, the exiled former president of South Yemen Ali Salem al Beidh chose the timing of celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Yemeni unification between south and north on May 22, 1990 and declared his backing and support to the southern hirak in a press conference held in Munich.

After fifteen years of political silence, al-Beidh accused Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni government of betrayal and treachery.

The Yemeni government has accused the Southern Movement of committing acts of violence and killing, as well as allying with elements of al-Qaeda, and it says it is seeking a confrontation of Hirak only in order to re-impose law and order.

Sources close to the Southern Movement reported that two leaders of the “Hirak,” Salah al-Shanfarah and Naser al-Khabji withdrew last Thursday from an expanded meeting of Hirak leaders in lab’ous ,Yafe’ headed by Hasan Ba’um after the outbreak of a dispute on submitting official resignation letters to the Yemeni Socialist Party.

Sources also mentioned that al-Shanfarah and al-Khabji objected on the distribution of some written forms during the meeting which obliged all members to submit their resignations and abandon any relations which bonds them with the Yemeni Socialist Party.

Al-Shanfarah and al-Khabji left the sight of the meeting in the presence of Hirak leaders in the governorate and with the participation of 40 social officials from the southern governorate.

Some resolutions were adopted in the meeting such as the expansion of the scope of the Supreme Council of the Southern Movement and renewing the call to execute a protest march in Aden for Friday.

A prominent leader and the general secretary of Socialist party in Yemen Yaseen Noman had launched a strong attack on the leaders of the southern movement, accusing them of trying to undermine his party and its historical achievements and to establish an exceptional leadership at the expense of the party.

Many attempts at unifying the Hirak’s ranks were hampered due to the membership of many of its leaders in the socialist party.

During those recent protests, many voices started to rise again from the old officials who took part in the southern government prior to the Yemeni war of separation in 1994 like Hasan Ba’um and Naser al-Nowbah.

Since then, the southern movement has started to have leaders calling for sit ins, peaceful demonstrations, and rallies.

Later, when the southern Hirak became more present in media, the exiled former president of South Yemen Ali Salem al Beidh chose the timing of celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Yemeni unification between south and north on May 22, 1990 and declared his backing and support to the southern hirak in a press conference held in Munich.

After fifteen years of political silence, al-Beidh accused Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni government of betrayal and treachery.

The Yemeni government has accused the Southern Movement of committing acts of violence and killing, as well as allying with elements of al-Qaeda, and it says it is seeking a confrontation of Hirak only in order to re-impose law and order.